Judge Grants 90-Day Stay on Ruling Discarding Atlantic City Casinos Tax Break

Author: Live Casino Direct
 
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Judge Michael Blee grants the requested stay on the court decision to throw away a major tax break for Atlantic City casinos introduced by an amendment to the PILOT tax program in 2021.

Judge Blee has granted a stay of 90 days on his court decision cancelling the PILOT Amendment from 2021. The stay is in order for the Appellate Division or the New Jersey Supreme Court to stipulate a decision regarding the dispute. New York's attorney general has asked for a temporary stay on the decision. The state's lawyers argue that the tax break for Atlantic City casinos will bring more revenue to the state coffers.

The PILOT program was introduced in 2016. It bases the Atlantic Casino’s property tax on a percentage of the casinos‘ winnings from the previous financial year. In 2021, an amendment to the PilOT was passed by Governor Phil Murphy. This amendment effectively introduced a tax break for Atlantic City casinos. Liberty and Prosperity 1776, a New Jersey NGO, filed a lawsuit to cancel the unjust tax relief. On August 29, the judge ruled that the amendment is against the New York state constitution and discarded it.